Judge temporarily halts Donald Trump's third travel ban

A federal district judge in Hawaii has temporarily blocked a grand majority of Donald Trump's latest travel ban.

A new order from the US President was due to block entry into the United States for citizens and officials of eight countries.

However, Judge Derrick Watson - who blocked Trump's previous order - said the planned restrictions suffered the same problems as the one before it, which would have prohibited travel from six Muslim-majority countries.

Under the terms of the current order, nationals of those six countries - Iran, Somalia, Syria, Yemen, Libya and Chad - as well as citizens from North Korea and Venezuelan officials would not have been granted entry into America.

Watson said Trump's order doesn't present evidence that "nationality alone" means the individuals concerned are a security risk and it "plainly discriminates based on nationality."

After the judge's intervention - hours before the order was to come into effect - travel has not been banned for the six Muslim-majority countries.

It remains in effect for residents of North Korea and officials from Venezuela.

While Donald Trump has not responded to the ruling on his Twitter account, the White House Press Secretary, Sarah Huckabee Sanders, released a statement to say Watson's order was "dangerously flawed."

She said it "undercut" efforts to secure American safety, and was confident the judiciary would uphold the US President's order in the end.